Angeniet Berkers

Documentary photographer Angeniet Berkers (1985, Nijmegen) spent five years researching the Nazi Lebensborn program, which aimed to increase the number of 'Aryan' descendants. She collected her findings in the book Lebensborn. Birth Politics of the Third Reich. On the occasion of the commemoration of 80 years of freedom in the Netherlands, Kunsthal Rotterdam will present her work in the exhibition Lebensborn from 28 March.

The exhibition tells the impressive story of this extraordinary history using photography, archive material and interviews, with an emphasis on the most important events and the personal consequences for those involved. Berkers documented the experiences of nine children who are now in their eighties. The Kunsthal is highlighting the stories of three of them – Gisela, Michael and Ingrid.

During her research, Berkers found objects and documents that show how nationalistic ideas permeated Lebensborn homes in an eerily organized way. The exhibition includes measuring instruments that were used at the time to determine an 'Aryan' origin. Berkers also visited former Lebensborn homes and photographed both the buildings and the surrounding landscape. Although these locations now have a different function, they remain silent witnesses to a turbulent past.